Anthony - 8 months old

It's hard to believe my little baby is 8 months old. He is such a good baby, I feel really lucky to have gotten such a sweet, happy, easy going baby (most of the time). He is making a lot of changes these days. He started sitting up on his own at about 6 1/2 months, but was pretty unsteady, now he can sit up on his own and hardly ever topples over. If he does topple over it is usually on purpose because he wants to get something. He isn't crawling yet, but seriously I think it's coming soon. He can get where he wants to get by rolling onto his tummy and pushing himself backwards. I can't wait till he crawls, just once though, then I don't want him to do it again. I hear everything changes once a baby gets mobile.

I am weaning him to formula and it was pretty hard at first, as he didn't like the taste of formula. I had to mix it 1 part formula and 3 parts breastmilk, now he is taking it mixed half and half. I will keep tapering him off and hopefully he will be fully weaned in a few more weeks. My frozen stash of milk is getting low, so it wont be long.

This is our typical day

wake up at 8:30, Breakfast at 9 (cereal and fruit), play or ride in stroller while mommy runs

Nap at 10, wake up at noon, have a 4 oz bottle. play at home or go swimming

3pm, 3-4 oz bottle and then nap time again, wake up at 4:30-5.

Dinner at 5:30 (cereal and vegetable) then play some more or run errands with mommy.

8:15 put jammies on and read stories, we have 5 books that we read every night. Have another 4 oz bottle, say prayers and go to bed.

He sleeps well, bedtime and nap time are pretty easy, I just lay him in bed and walk away, if he fusses at all its only for a few minutes and then he falls asleep. Unfortunately he is still waking up around midnight (I think out of habit more than anything) to eat again, and then again at 6. In between the midnight and 6am feedings I usually have to get up 1-2 times to put the pacifier back in his mouth because he has woken up and can't find it, but it only takes a minute and then he falls right back asleep.

He is also starting to say ma-ma-ma-ma-ma, he has no idea what he is saying, it isn't directed at anything or anyone, but it's really cute when he says it. Grandma J thought it meant he wanted his pacifier so she would give it to him and then he'd put it in his mouth and stop talking. Now we are working on da-da-da-da-da.

He has moved out of the infant car seat and onto the kind that stays in the car, he was getting too heavy to be carrying around in that thing. He was 17 pounds 2 ounces at his 6 1/2 month check up, so I'm sure he is probably about 18-19 pounds by now.

He hasn't mastered the sippy cup yet, but we practice once in a while. I had to take the spill protector out so he could actually get some juice and usually it just ends up all over him and on the rug. Hopefully he will get the hang of it soon.

When I was shopping at Trader Joe's they offered him a balloon or stickers, I said "no thanks, he is too little." But the girl was insistent and tied a balloon to his stroller and he loved it, played with it all day while I was shopping in Chicago. He isn't that happy in this picture, but it was taken at the end of a long day without a nap.Here Daddy and Tony are showing off their cool shades. Too bad he wont keep them on, they are so cute on him.Here are his 6 month professional pictures. I had to take a picture of the pictures and then crop them so the quality here isn't as good as the real things, but you get the idea of how cute they turned out.